Scaffold



A. c. FARLEY SCAljFOLD Filed May 1'7, 1927 5 Sheets-She INVENTOR. f'ar/ey ATTORNEYS.

M. 21, .1929. A. FARLEY 1.114.215

I SCARFOLD Filed Ilay 17. 192'! 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Q; INVENTOR.

A TTORNE YS.

my 21, 1929. A. c. FARLEY sc AFFoLn Filed May 1'7, 1927 5 Sheets-She et lllll lllllll-II ll lllll'l-Il.

ATT'ORNEYS.

' May 21, 1929. A'. c. FARLE'Y' 1,714,215

S CAFFOLD Filed May l7, 192? 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 IN VEN TOR.

A TTORNEYS.

My 21', 1929. A. c. FARLEY 1,114,215

S CAFFOLD Filed May 17, 1927 5 sheeissheet" 5 IN VEN TOR.

WM M

A TTORNEYS.

Patented May 21, 1929.

UNITED" STATES 1,714,215 PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED c. rAnLEY, OFBENNING, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, AssIG' oR' or ONE-HALF T0 STEPHEN L; GARDNER, OF WASHINGTON,- DISTRICT, OF COLUMBIA.

SCAFFOLD.

- Application filed May 17,

tion of buildings and the repairing, refac ing, or painting'or erected buildings.

One of the primary objects of thepresent invention is to provide a scaffold structure.

which may be readily erected and its com ponent parts assembled and adjusted in accordance with the building structure which is to be erected or upon which workis to be done. I 7

Another object of the invention is to provide a scaffold structure embodying frame members of suchconstruction that they may be put to various uses and arranged invarious ways in accordance, with the character of the structure to be erected or. the work to be done upon an erected structure.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel means for connecting and relativelytbracing the foot boards'of a scaffold structure'with respect to the uprights and with respect to one another and which means will likewise serve tomaintain the uprights in proper spaced upright parallel position,

without the necessity of employing diagonal braces between adjacent uprights as is usually the custom.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel arrangement wherebythe scaf fold structure may be erected so as to per.- mit of one end of the foot boardsextending beyond the scaffold structure proper, which is desirable under various conditions encountered in the erection of buildings.-

Another object of the invention-is to provide novel means whereby the foot boards ofscaffolds arranged at two adjacent'sides of-a building structure, being erected, may

all

be connected in overlappedrelation at the corner oft-he structure, thus permitting the workmen to pass from one scaffold structure to the other without the necessity of de- .scending to the ground surface.

4 Another object of the invention is to provide, in a scaffold structure, novel means for connecting the uprights of the structure, whichmeans will facilitate assemblage and adjustment of the component parts of'the 1927. Serial No. 192,097.

vide novel means for anchoring the scaffold structure to the wlndow frames of the build ing being erected or already erected, and

- which anchoring means will .be positive in its engagement with the window frames and yet soeonstructed as to avoid any mar-ring or other damage to the frames. 1

, Another object of the invention is to provide a scaffold structure which may be conveniently supported upon wheels so that it may be shifted from place to place or may be erected in a substantially fixed position,

either as-desired and without any material alteration of the structure, in either event.

iVhile. the accompanying drawings and the descriptionwhich is to follow, constitute a disclosureof the preferred embodiment of the invention, it will be'understood that vari the scaffold,

substantially on. the line 33'of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; 7 j r Fig i is a detail vertical sectional view taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 1 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; v Fig. 5 is a similarv view on the line 5-5 of Figurel looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; a

Fig. 6 is a verticallongitudinal sectional view through a portion of the scaffold structure illustrating the bracing means provided I between the uprights and the foot boards;

Fig. 7 is a bottom plan. view of a portion of the structure shown in Figure 6; i Fig.8 1s a vertical fI'ZlIlSVGlSQSGCiDlOHZLl view taken substantially on the line 8.8 of" Figurefi looking in .the direction indicated by the arrows; I

Fig. 9 1s a plan V ew of a portion of the scaffold structure illustratingthe means provided for anchoring, the structure with re spect to the windows of the building to be erected or already erected;

Fig. lO'is a vertical .transversesectional its View taken substantially on the line 1 l of Figure 9 looking in the direction indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 11 is a View partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the means for anchoring the foot boards of the structure to the rungs of the uprights;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a corner portion f the structure illustrating the manner in which the foot boards of two scaffold structures may be connected at the corner of a building;

Fig. 13 is a fragmentary front elevation of a modified form of scaffold structure;

Fig. 1a is a view partly in side elevation and partly in section illustrating parts of the structure assembled and adjusted to provide an uprightladder;

Fig. 1s a side elevation of the structure shown 111 Figure 14:;

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of a trestle or I be arrangedin position supported partly by the floor or ground surface and partly by one ofa flight of steps.

In the drawings the scaffold structureis illustrated as embodying a plurality of uprights 1 each of which comprises apair of spaced upright parallel side members 2 and connecting rungs 3. The side members 2 of each upright will ordinarily be of wood and, in order to accommodate'the rungs 3,the uprights will have their said side members formed with openings 4:. Inasmuch as the invention contemplates the provision of any desired number of rungs, each side member 2 will be formed with a number of the o1enings l extending in a series longitudinally of the side member. Each of the rungs 3 preferably comprises a tubular body which is threaded at each end as indicated by the numeral 5, and clamping heads 6 are thread uprights of a single one of the sections shown for example more clearly in Figure 5 of the drawings. Each of the clamping heads 6 comprises a circular bodyhaving a threaded opening? located centrally thereof and formed upon one face with a short annular flange 8 which surrounds the said opening; the opposite faces of the bodies of the clamping members being preferably flat. It will be observed by reference to Figure 5 that in anchoring or securing the ends of the rungs 3 in the side members 2 of the uprights 1, one of the clamping members 6 is threaded onto the end of the rung and this end of the rung is then fitted through the opening t whereupon the other clamping member is threaded onto the threaded end of the rung and tightened so as to bind the side member 2 between the two clamping members and thus securely anchor the parts 'in their connected relation. Preferably lock nuts 9 are threaded onto the outer threaded ends of the rungs 3 and bear against the outer ends of the clamping members 6, each nut being formed in its engaging face with an annular recess 10 accommodating the end of the flange 8 upon the respective clamping member. It will be observed by reference to Figures 1 and 2 of the drawings, that, in the instance of some of the upright sections, the side members 2 thereof are spaced apart a greater distance than are the side members of the other sections of the uprights, this being most clearly shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, and as a consequence the sections be assembled end to end so that the upright may be made of any desired height. In assembling the sections end to end, the ends of the narrower sections are arranged in overlapped relation within the ends of the wider sections, and the threaded outer ends of the rungs 3 which are engaged through the registering openings in the overlapped ends of the side bars of the connected sections, serve to connect the said side bars and prevent relative displacement thereof,

the clamping members 6 being applied to and adjusted upon the threaded ends of the rungs 3 so as to engage the relatively remote sides of the overlapped ends of the sidebars through which the ends of the rungs eXtendQ Pref erably the side bars will beoverlapped in such a manner that the overlapping ends of each two sections will be connected by two of the rungs, so that there can be no angular displacement of the connected sections of the uprights and the sections will therefore all occupy a common vertical plane. t will likewise be evident by reference to Figure 2 that the narrower and wider sections of each upright arealternately arranged, so that the assemblage of sections will be symmetrical throughout the entire height of the upright. At this point it will be evident that any de sired number of the upright sections may be connected. together in the manner illustrated and described so that an upright of any height may be erected. It will be'undcrstocd at this point that the rungs 8 serve not only to relatively brace and connect the side members 2 of the sections of the upright but they likewise serve as ladder rungs, so theta work' man may ascend or descend from one line of foot boards to another.

The foot boards referred to dicated by the numeral 11 and 1 HUOVP 111? ill- .may be of various lengths and of any desired width and, in order that the boards may be braced with respect to the uprights, the boards being disposed to rest upon corresponding rungs of adacent uprights, means is provided which will now be described and which is most clearly illustrated in Figures 6, 7 and 8 of the drawings. The means referred to comprises a palr of clamps lndicated 1n general byithe numeral 12 and which clamps are secured to p the foot boards lladjacent the overlapping ends of two associated boards. Each of the clamps comprises a plate 13 having threaded openings formed therein adjacent its ends,-

and a pair of clamping members 1 each com-,

prising upper and lower spacedhorizontally disposed portions 15 and 16 anda connecting intermediate portion 17. The upper portion I 15 of each clamping member 14 is provided} at its end and upon its under side with one or more downwardly projecting spurs 18 and the clamping members are assembled with the foot boards 11 by engagement with the opposite longitudinal edges of the boards, the

spurs '18 biting intothe upper side of the board engaged by the clamping members and the clamping members being'inthis manner securely anchoredto the board against displacement. 'The plate 13 of each clamp is disposed against the under side of the respective foot board and the clamping'meinbers 14 are so assembled with the foot board 11 and the plate 13 that their lower portions 16 will extend beneath andin contact with the under sides ofthe'plate 13- at the ends thereof these portions 16 beingformed with longitudinally extending slots'19. and seem ing bolts 20 preferably provided with winged, heads are fited through the slots 19 and threaded into the openings in theends of the plate 13 thus binding the portions 16 of the clamping members 14 to the said plate 13 and holding the clamping members againstdisplacement with respect to the plate, the

longitudinal edges of the foot board being of course received within the clamping members between the portions 15 and 16 thereof and abutting against the portions 17. The plate 13 of each; clamp is provided upon its under side with a pairsof spaced apertured cars 21, and bracearms 22, which are-fiattened attheir upper ends, have their said upper ends engagedbetween the ears andconnected thereto bv transverse pivot pins 23.

The brace arms 22 are inclined downwardly from the clamps upon the two boards which have their ends mutually overlapped. as most clearly shown in Figure 6 of the drawings.

and the lower ends of the arms are threaded. as indicated by the numeral 24 and arefitted into threadedsockets 25-which project radially at an angle with respect to each other from the upper side of a sleeve 26 which is slidably and yet snugly fitted upon therung 3 which is-next below the lung upon which the overlapped ends of the foot boards 11 are supported as shown in the said Figure 6. It willnow be evident that by the provision of this means, the foot boards are c not only braced'with respect to the uprights of the withrespect to each other so. that there can '70 scaffold structure but are likewise braced be no relative displacement of. the boards either with respect to each other or with respect to the uprights. Where the foot boards ll-overlap at their relatively adjacent ends as in Figure'6 and are supported at their said end s upon one of the rungs 3 of the upright, no connection is necessary between this rung and the overlapped ends of the boards, but where the boards extend over and are supported by other rungs ofvintermediate uprights, such EL'COIIHGCtlOIl is provided and thls connection is clearly shown in Figure 11 of I the drawings-and will now be'described.

threaded onto the projecting lower ends of the said'bolts and being adapted to be tightened toibind against the under side of the rung so as to exert a downward pull upon the 1 bar 27 and thus bind the foot board 11 against the upper side of the rung and secure the same" against longitudinal displacement. It

will be-understood of course that-this clamping action exerted by the bar 27 will likewise restrain the footboard against displacement longitudinally of the ru'ng 3, and such dis placement is positively prevented by reason l i of the presence of the bolts 28 at the opposite longitudinal edges of the foot board 11. The means provided for. anchoring the.

scafiold structure to and bracing the same with respect tothe building wall, is best-illustrated in Figures 3, 9 and 10 of the drawings and the saidmeans includes rods 31 and.31, the rodsbeing arranged end-to-end and hayllO ing their meeting ends formedwith screw threads 32and being connected by a sleeve 32 which is interiorly threaded to receive the said ends of the'rods. The rod 31 is'fitted loosely through an opening formed in a head 33 which may be produced by twisting a length of bar metal at sp'acedpoints inter mediate its ends to provide an'intermediate portion through which the said rod 31 is engaged, and end portions 34: to whichare piv-' otally connected arms 35. 7 These arms constitute braces as will presently be explained and the arms are preferably formed from bar metal and each arm is twisted adjacent its end ---op:posite its pivoted end as'at 36 to :provide a angles to the plane occupied by the main portion oi the arm. The portlon 37 of each a 111 i is bent to provide an outstanding laterally projecting finger 38 and, in the assembled relation of the parts, the fingers 38 of the two arms project in opposite directions and are engageable in the sash grooves of they window frame of the building indicated by the reference letter W, as most clearly shown in Fig ure 9 of the drawings. Links 39 are connected to the arms by pivot pins 40 engaged through the arms 35 and selectively through openings 39 in the links, and a pivot pin 42 is secured through the inner ends of the links 39 and through the bifurcated outer end of the rod 31. As the rod 31 is looselyfitted through an opening in the intermediate portion of the head 33, it' may have sliding movement through said opening, and a nut 43 is threaded onto the threaded portion 32 of the rod 31 and is adjustable toibear against one side of the said intermediate portion of the'head 33. A collar 44 is interiorly threaded and ad justably fitted onto the threaded portion 32 of the rod 31 and handle members 45 project radially in opposite directions from the said collar and may be grasped for the purpose ot rotating the collar so as to feed the rod 31 through the, opening in the head 33 in one direction or the other and thus effect adjustment of the links 39 to either spread the arms 35 and cause their fingers 38 to engage in the sash grooves cf-the window frame or to mo e the arms toward each other to disengage the fingers from the said grooves. members 46 are employed in connection with the rod- 31 and each of these members includes a vertically extending portion 47 having an opening therein through which the rod is fitted, and a portion 48 which extents at right angles from the upper end of the por tion 47, the portion 48 being designed to engage overthe upper side of the edge portion of the foot board 11 beneath-which the rod 31 is disposed as shown in Figures 9 and 10 of the drawings, the portion e7 engaging gainst the oppositelongitudinal edges of the board, a nut 49 being threaded onto the threaded'outer end of the rod 31 to be adjusted to bind one of the clamping members 46 and hold the other clamping member against the sleeve 32, and both members in engagement with the longitudinal edges of the foot board. 11. It will now be understood that by adjusting the collar ll, the arms may be spread apart or moved toward each other and the bracing and anchoring device may therefore be readily adjusted and adapted to the window irame of the building with respect to the wall of which the scaltold struc ture is to be supported, in spaced relation thereto. At this point it will be evident that due to the character of the means provided for clamping the bracing devices to the foot Clamping boards 11, thedevic'es may be adjusted 1011-,

gitudinally of the boards in accordance with the spacing or locationot the windows W. It will likewise be evident-that the arms 35 of the devices may be aneularly adjusted with respect to eachother so as to adapt the fingers 38 the outer ends of the arms to engage the frames of windows 0t various widths. It will also be evident that the engagement of the fingers does not in any way mar or otherwise damage the Window frames and yet the devices employed constitute a highly ellicient means for relatively bracing the scaffold structure with respect to the building wall.

Any desired number of the uprights may be employed, as will be understood from the foregoing description and from the illustra tions, depending upon the length of the wall to be erected or worked upon, and as shown in Figures 1 and 3 ot' the drawings provision may be made for the extension otthe toot boards beyond the ends of the main scaffold structure. As previously stated, the side members 2 of the uprights may be made of varying length and these members are utilised in various ways other than in the construction of the uprights as will now and also herein-- after be made apparent. In Figures 1 and 3,

there is illustrated an arrangement in which a pair of the members 2, here indicated speciiically by the numeral 50, are mounted at their lower ends upon the projcctin threaded ends 5 ol? one of the rungs 3 and secured by tendingupwardly at an angle of inclination from one end of the mainscati'old structure and being bridged at their upper ends by another one of the rungs 3 which rung extends beneath the outer end of a "foot board 11 which may be shorter than the foot boards emplovedin the main scaffold structure and which board at its other end is supported upon that one of the rungs 3 ot the end section otthe main scaffoldv structure which is located in the same horizontal plane asthe rung which supports the first mentioned end of the board. Braces 50, comprising a. pair of the members 2, are connected to and extend between the rungs 3 upon which the foot boards 11 are supported. It this end oil the main scal'l'oldstructure is located at the corner of a building or it the scatiold structure is being employed within a building, in the latter instance in conjunction with another one of thescahold structures arranged in spaced relation thereto, toot boards indicated specificallyby the numeral 51 and corresponding in every way to the foot boards 11, may be supported at their ends upon the footboardsll of the two scaffolds as shown in the said Figures 1 and 3. ;Thus, where the building is not of any considerable width, two of the'scafiold structures may be arranged at the opposite sides of the building and the 'oneof the clampingmembers 6 and the nuts 9 35500131166. therewlth, the members 50 exlUO llt)

foot boards 51 may extend across the front or the rear of the building. It will also be evident that where the scaffold structure is employed within a building in finishing the walls thereof, the extended structure illustrated and just described may project over shelving which has already been erected within the building, so that notwithstanding the presence of the shelving, workmen may reach the wall of the building from the scaffold.

A somewhat similar arrangement of the foot boards is disclosed in Figures 1 and 12 of the drawings and in thesefigures the foot boards are illustrated as overlapping at their ends in positions extending at right angles toeach other, this arrangement being provided at the corner of a building. In order that the boards, which constitute members of two of the scaffold structures, may be connected in their overlapped relationship, clamping bars 52 corresponding in every way to the clamping bar'27, previously described, may be employed and arranged diagonally above and below the overlapped ends of the foot boards as shown in the said Figs. 1 and 12, bolts 53, corresponding to the bolts 28, previously described, being fitted through the apertured ends of the barsandtightened to cause the bars to bind against the overlapped ends of the foot boards and thus connect the same. i r

As the laws of many cities require that scaffold structures be provided with side rails to prevent the workmen falling therefrom,

' the present invention contemplates the provision of such rails and in the most desirable -manner, namely by utilization of me1nbers 54 which constitute the said rails and which are identical with the side members 2 of the uprights of the main scaffold structure, these members 54 being provided with openings 55 corresponding to the openings t in the members 2 and being mounted upon the rungs 3 as most clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3 of the drawings, the members 5 1 being clamped by the clamping members 6 upon the respective rungs 3, against the side members 2 between which they extend.

The lower ends of the uprights comprising the scaffold structure'may be supported directly upon the ground or floor surface, or if preferred, means may be employed for supporting the structure so that it may be shifted from place to place, and where this is desirable, bearing sleeves 56 are fitted onto the projecting ends of the the lowermost rungs 3 of the uprights and abut at their inner ends against the flanges of the outer clamping members 6 and have fitted thereon the hubs 57 of wheels 58, the nuts 9 heretofore referred to being threaded onto the ends of the said rungs 3 andadjusted to bear against the outer ends of the bearing sleeves, the bearing sleeves being of a length greater than the length of;

the hubs 57 of the wheels 58 so that the sleeves will project at their outer ends beyond the outer ends of the hubs and'be accommodated at their said ends in the grooves 10'formed in the respective nuts 9. This construction is most clearly shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4 of the drawings.

As previously stated-the rungs, foot boards, 7

and side members of the uprights, are adapted. to be arranged in various ways and put to various uses, and certain arrangements which may be effected will now be described.

i In the embodiment of the invention previ- I ously described and exemplified in Figure 1 of the drawings, the uprights and the foot boards are relatively braced by the structure shown in Figures 6, 'Zand 8 of the drawings, but, if desired, bracing members 59 corresponding in every respect to the members constituting the side members of the uprights,

maybe arranged infcrossed relation as shown in Figure 13 of the drawings and'connected at their ends to the projecting ends of proper ones of the rungs 3 so as to relatively brace the uprights, the foot boards being held in place by the means shown in Figure 11 and the structure, if desired, braced by the means shown in- Figure.9, both as previously described. This constitutes a somewhat less expensive arrangement of parts and may be resorted to, although it is not as'desirable as the structure previously shown and described. In Figures 14 and'15 of the drawings'there is shown an uprightladder comprising up right side members 60 which are identical with the side members 2 of the uprights of the main scaffold structure previously de- 7 scribed and these uprights 60 may be of any desired length, and of one piece or the upright as a whole may consist of severalsections connected in the same manner as the sections of the previously described uprights. The spaced uprights 60 are connected by rungs 6lcorrespondingto the rungs'3of the previously described embodiment, and the lower ends of the uprights 60 are preferably braced at their lower portions by a transverse or horizontal brace 63 which is connected near its ends with rungs 61 which are arranged to extend between the braces 62 and, at their intermediate portions are connected to the ends of another one of the rungs 61 which extends between the lower portions of the uprights 60, .This construction as thus far described may be employed alone, or, if desired,

braces 64 corresponding to the bracing arms 22 previously described, may be employed at the upper end of the structure to support a 

